Each year, dozens—if not hundreds—of new brands join the wine and spirit industries, all fighting for market share and consumers’ attention. What propels some brands on a path to growth, while others are destined to be forgotten?

Quality product, brand awareness, consumer perception, advertising, promotions, merchandising, event marketing and countless other factors come into play, not to mention luck. Only the most successful brands strike the right balance at the right time, rising above the competition.

Since growth comes in many forms, the awards for both wines and spirits are split into four categories: Rising Star, Fast Track, Established Growth and Comeback Brands. Rising Stars are new brands that show great potential. Fast Track brands have grown steadily and are on the way to becoming category leaders. Established Growth winners are top-selling brands with a proven track record. And Comeback Brands are past winners that saw a temporary decrease in sales, but have since rebounded to at least their prior level.

We asked the 163 Growth Brand winners what it took to build their brand, how they grew sales in 2014 and how they’re planning to sustain the momentum in 2015. Their answers provide insight into the resolve it takes to become a category leader in the beverage alcohol industry, and the determination required to stay on top year after year.

Cheers congratulates this year’s Growth Brand winners for their achievements. These 90 wine brands and 73 spirit brands are lighting the way, leading the industry to continued growth and success.

“Although the growth brands accounted for roughly one-third of wine and spirit industry sales last year, they accounted for more than three-quarters of the industries’ growth,” says Adam Rogers, manager of information services for the Beverage Information & Insights Group, the research unit of Cheers’ parent company. “The Growth Brands are what propels these industries forward. Recognizing them as winners is essential and they deserve to be honored.”

The Class of 2015

The winners of this year’s Growth Brand Awards include 90 wine brands and 73 spirit brands, representing more than 60 different suppliers. Among the highlights from this year’s class:

– Top-selling spirit winners include Svedka (4.08 million nine-liter cases sold in 2014), Jim Beam (4.07 million cases) and Fireball (3.90 million cases).

– Top-selling wine winners include Barefoot Cellars (16.42 million cases), Woodbridge (9.15 million cases) and Black Box (4.02 million cases).

– Suppliers with the most winning brands include E. & J. Gallo Winery (17), Constellation Brands (15), Diageo (9) and Heaven Hill (8).

– A dozen winning brands didn’t register any sales in 2013 and rose to more than 20,000 cases sold in less than a full year.

– In total, the Growth Brand winners represent nearly 130 million cases of wines and spirits sold in 2014.